by Thomas Reiner, Quartz Mountain Commentary, ©2025
(Aug. 4, 2025) — The city of Prescott holds a special place in Arizona history since the Arizona Territory was established in 1863. President Lincoln immediately abolished slavery in the newly formed Territory and made Prescott the first Territorial Capital. Doc Holliday and the Earp Brothers clomped their cowboy boots in Prescott before earning their notoriety in Tombstone. Prescott became a mining community with a Western flair where the “World’s Oldest Rodeo” has been operating since 1888. There is almost universal pride in our town as Prescott is known as Arizona’s Christmas City with month-long celebrations such as the Courthouse Tree Lighting, Acker Night and the New Year’s Eve “Dropping of the Boot” as thousands dance on the street along Whiskey Row.
Central to the city is the world-famous Whiskey Row which borders the Courthouse Square where the Courthouse is right out of “Back to the Future.” Whiskey Row has a rich history unto itself. In 1900, a raging fire destroyed the hotels and eleven bars on or near Whiskey Row. The intrepid citizenry could not stop the fire due to lack of water, but there was no shortage of liquor. They “rescued the booze” and moved it across the street to the Courthouse Plaza along with three pianos. Tents were set up and business was soon booming and boozing as Whiskey Row was rebuilt.
The modern Whiskey Row is incredible where one can wear their tie-dyes to bliss out on “[Grateful] Dead Mondays” at The Birdcage or kick up their cowboy heels and show off their line-dancing stuff at Matt’s Saloon just a mosey down the block. The rebuilt Palace Saloon sports an 1870 vibe and even has its rescued bar from the fire. Real cowboys come through the swinging doors and you can imagine the Ropers of old being there. One can hang their drink on the balcony of Jersey Lillys and watch life amble by.
Whiskey Row is a single block long and sports a 19th- and early 20th-century vibe. There are already two hotels on that block. Real-estate developers have purchased three properties in the hope of constructing a third hotel that is out of place for “The Row.” They have attempted to build a four-story hotel which blocks off the view of Thumb Butte, and the design is inappropriate for the ambiance of Whiskey Row. Parking has already reached prohibitive levels and the hotel plans on hogging the parking plaza behind Whiskey Row for its own use. Another hotel on Whiskey Row is inappropriate as there are two hotels already there and several modern hotels within a short walking distance.
That plan has already been shot down by the Council and the Prescott Preservations Committee, but like a zombie, it keeps coming back to life. There is a smell that some City Council members are weakening in Prescott’s opposition to this hotel. The proposed hotel will be on the agenda of the City Council meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, August 5, at 3:00 PM. Your attendance and opposition are critical to swaying the politicians occupying the seven seats of the Council.
Please join your fellow Prescottonians at the meeting located at 201 N. Montezuma St, 1st Floor. Wear yer cowboy hats and be prepared to “Yee Haw” when it is voted down once again. Prescott needs a Whiskey Row, not a Hotel Row, as Prescott is thankfully not Phoenix.